The New Jersey Devils hid in the shadows.
There were whispers that they might be a team that wanted Connor Hellebuyck, but they didn’t appear to be viewed as the favorite by many NHL reporters.
The Devils are the team that’s getting Hellebuyck, though, and that’s all that matters.
News emerged Friday morning that sent shockwaves across the NHL: Hellebuyck is coming to the Devils.
The Winnipeg Jets, after months of waiting, are trading their three-time Vezina winner.
Hellebuyck, who goaltended the United States to an Olympic gold medal in February, is coming to New Jersey to play with the Olympic-winning goal scorer, Jack Hughes.
Devils Trade for Connor Hellebuyck
This is what David Pagnotta reported on Friday morning:
We’ve talked about NJ being still in the mix for Hellebuyck on DFO Insider the last few weeks. @JeffMarek has stayed on the Devils from the start.
Carolina & Utah continued to get chase but Devils come out on top, as @FriedgeHNIC first reported.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) October 23, 2026
He makes sure to point out that not everyone had written off New Jersey in this saga.
But it did really feel like the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth were all more heavily linked to the Jets’ goalie in recent weeks.
The speculation doesn’t matter, though. The Devils have their superstar goalie.
Devils this season:
6-4-0
.876 SV%Adding Connor Hellebuyck. https://t.co/uc8zXcavwV
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 23, 2026
Devils Could Make Another Trade
There’s been plenty of speculation that Quinn Hughes, who currently plays for the Minnesota Wild, would want to come to New Jersey and play with his brothers Jack and Luke.
That concept will only heat up now that the Devils have upgraded with Hellebuyck.
Hughes isn’t the only name that will circulate, either.
Dylan Larkin is said to want to be traded from the Detroit Red Wings to a contending team based in the United States. The Hellebuyck trade fires a big salvo in that direction, too.
Really in general, getting Hellebuyck shows that the Devils are all in. They aren’t holding back with their current roster. They saw a chance to get a top-tier goalie and didn’t let someone else beat them to the punch.
The trade saga for Hellebuyck and Winnipeg was long and drawn out. It’s not clear how soon he’ll be ready to get in net for the Devils.
But it’s clear that New Jersey is going for it, and that means more moves could follow. The salary cap could become tricky to navigate at some point, but that’s why front offices have teams of smart people in place to work things out.
The Devils’ front office pulled off the Hellebuyck trade. Everyone will be wondering what might come next.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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